Shock absorber for scales



Nov. 10, 1931. w. GUMPRICH 1,830,997

SHOCK ABSORBER FOR SCALES Filed March 25, 1929 FIG.|.

Patented Nov. 10, 1931 UNITED s AT PATENT? eerie-E1:

wxrtmnsw mqne aBR KL New YORK, .e s G Q T DAYTQN, s em com-,- PAN-IE, OEPAYTONOHIQ A Q QR I N JERSEY.

HQQ ABSORBER FOR .ISCALES Application filed March 23, 1929,

bar-is provided to actuatethe drum and a load -actuated-draft memberconnected to the 'counterbalances is provided-to actuate the equalizer bar.

Inscales of-this kind asat present constructed, the equalizer bar-is seated between upper and lower knife edgesof an adjustable hook movable asa unit with the draft memher. It has been found that when a heavy load is suddenly :droppedon theplatform or suddenly taken off, the shock imposed on the equalizer bar-through the knife edges may cause it to takea permanent set. As a result,

the-tendency for the barto yield slightly under stressof a suddenv changelin load will be lost andrepeated shockswill bend the bar throwing the-scale off balance and making it ditficult; to readjust. Further, the failure of the bar to yield under a sudden load causes it to rotate the ;drum violently and abruptlythereby-injuring the drum bearings. l-lxg'am, the reacton' of thenonyieldable bar when.

Facted on by-a sudden loadupon the knife or pin bearing connection betweenthe lever and the draft member'will tend to in ure said connection.- Furthermore, when a sudden shock is imposed onthe equalizer bar in :Iknown scales, the ends of the bars willwhip downwardly or upwardly with the support of the center of the bar as a fulcrum. The ban will thus momentarily take the shape of a pair ofoppositely inclined lines intersecting at the center of the bar. The ends of the bars have racks rigidly supported thereby at right angles thereto so that when the bar takes its inclined shape, the bars will also be moved to a position inclined to their normal vertical U position.

The racks mesh with pinions on the drum chart shaft and when the racks move angularly, their teeth move angularly relatively to the pinion teeth and in some cases leave the pinion teeth altogether. Thus if a load is suddenly applied to the scale, the center of the equalizer bar will stop before the ends of the bar which will move downwardly inclining the bar and moving the racks downward- :ly and angularly outwardly. In so doing,

Serial No. 349.393,

the rack teeth and the pinion teetl1;1nesl1ed M therewith are liable to injury especiallyif the racks leave the pinionsaltogether where-- upon they clash. with the pinions on'returning tomeslnng engagement. The same action, as above described,but in the reverse direction, occurs when a load is suddenly removed. from the scale. It does not take many I such sudden applications and removals of load to permanently injure the rack and pinion teeth on WlllCh the accuracy of the scale primarily dependent. v

The object of this invention is to provide Further, the object of the invention is to provide a yieldable, separate connection be-.

tween the draftmember and-th e equalizer rod of adrum scale.

Further and other objects and advantages will be hereinafter set forth in the accompanying specification and claims, and shown- 1n the drawings, whlch by way of lllustration. show what is now considered to be the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 1 1s a front elevation of the drum chart and the associated members;

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-'2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail of the yieldable connection between the draft and equalizer rods.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the draft unember 10 is connectedto the base lever system (not shown) by a draft hook ll. Attached by screws 12 to the-inember .10 is the Ushaped draft bar 13extending longi tudinally of the drum and; havingc0nnec- I tions 14 at each end to the counterbalancing springs 15. The member lOha-s a round bore 16 inwhioh is slidably adjustablymounted a spring depressed plunger-l7. 'A screw 18 threaded 1n member 10 servesto ad ust the plunger l'? to adjustthe chart reading to zero. The upper end of the latter has pivot. ally; pinned thereto a U-shaped member 19 extending parallel to and beneath member 13.

Thetop 20 ofmemberlo has at each end an openingfll, 'througlrwhich passes the,

shanlgof a member-23. On oneside of the;

opening and surrounding the shank of member 23 is a spring 22 and a similar spring 22' is on the other side of the opening also surrounding said shank. Member 23 has an annular portion 24 in which is seated the round equalizer bar 25. The springs 22'and 22' are disposed between and act at each end on plates 26 and 27 freely carried on the shank of members 23. A movement of member 19 will thus be communicated to member 23 through the springs 22 and 22' connecting the members 19 and 23. A sudden, violent, movement of member 19 will be absorbed by said springs which acts as shockabsorbers.

The operation of the above mechanism is as follows:

When a load is placed on the platform, the draft rod 11 pulls member 10 downwardly against the resistance of counterbalancing springs 15 connected to member 13 rigid with 10. Member 19 moves with member 10 and through springs 22 and 22 actuates member 23 and equalizer bar 25. The latter is connected at each end to rack bars 29 which mesh with pinions 30 on the shaft of drum chart 31. The equalizer bar thus actuates the drum chart through rack bars 29 and pinions 30 and due to' the springs 22 and 22 will be resiliently yet firmly driven by the draft bar 19. g

While there has been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a single modification it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a weighing scale, a cylindrical chart, an equalizer bar extending axially of said chart for actuating the latter, a horizontally disposed load actuated draft bar and a resilient connection between the draft bar and the equalizer bar.

2. In a weighing scale, a cylindrical chart, an equalizer bar extending axially of said chart for actuating the latter, a horizontally disposed load actuated draft bar disposed with a portion above the equalizer bar, and a resilient connection between said portion of the draft bar and the equalizer bar.

In a weighing scale, a cylindrical chart. an equalizer bar extending axially of said chart for actuating the latter, a load actuated draft bar disposed parallel to the equalizer bar, and a resilient connection between said draft bar and said equalizer bar at each end of the latter.

4. In a weighing scale, a cylindrical chart, an equalizer bar extending parallel to the axis of sa d chart for actuating the latter,

a load-actuated draft bar, a member for carrying the equalizer bar, and springs bearing at one end upon said member and at the other end upon said bar.

5. In a weighing scale, a chart, an element for actuating the chart, a load-actuated U- shaped draft bar, one of the sides of said bar being provided with an opening, a member having its shank disposed within said opening, said member being provided with an opening for receiving said element. and springs surrounding said shank and acting upon said member to cause it to move with said draft bar.

6. In a weighing scale, a chart, an element for actuating the chart, means for supporting said element, a load-actuated member, a draft bar adjustably carried by said member, and a pair of springs between said bar and said supporting means, one of said springs tending to move said means in one direction and the other spring to move said means in an opposite direction.

7. In a scale, a chart, a load-actuated member, counterbalances, a U-shaped element fastened to said member and connected to said counterbalanccs, a U-shaped member adjustably carried by said load-actuated member, aspring acting u on said U-shaped member, and an element or actuating the chart disposed within the bight of said U-shaped member and also acted upon by said spring.

8. In a scale. a drum chart, an equalizer bar disposed parallel to the axis of said chart for actuating the latter, a load-actuated memher having a bore therein, said member being connected to load counterbalancing means, a member adj ustably mounted in said bore, and shock absorbing springs acting upon said latter member and also simultaneously acting upon said equalizer bar.

9. In a weighing scale, a drum chart, a

nature.

WILLIAM GUMPRICH. 

